Pocket-knife.



No. 777,358. PATBNTED DEC. 13, 1904. W. WEUK.

POCKET KNIFE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 29, 1904.

N!) MODEL.

UNITED STAT S Patented December 13, 1904.

WILI-IELM WECK, OF SOLINGEN, GERMANY.

FOGKET -KNlFE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 777,358, dated December 13, 1904.

Application filed February 29, 1904. Serial No. 196,718. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VVILI-IELM VVECK, a citizen of the German Empire, residing at Solingen, in the Province of Rhenish Prussia, KingdomofPrussia, German Empire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pocket-Knives, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in pocket-knives comprising devices for securing or looking the closed blades of the knives, so that they cannot be opened involuntarily and by the usual means, but only by actuating a special locking device. My invention therefore distinguishes itself from knives of similar character in that the blades are held in position by the pressure of the ordinary spring only when they are open, whereas when the blades are closed a special spring has the tendency to throw out the blade, and that this is hindered by a detent, but which must be unlocked before it can be released. he detent consists of a small pin or projection attached to the cover of the knife-handle, which can oscillate on a central fulcrum, but is normally held in locked position by a spring acting upon its lower surface, so that only by pressing upon it the blade and the detent will be released; but before this releasing can be done a special locking device for the detent will have to be unlocked.

On the accompanying drawings the new pocket-knife and its construction, with the new detent and locking device, is shown.

Figure 1 is a side view of the knife, acover ing-plate taken off. Fig. 2 is a cross-section of Fig. 1 along line I I. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the knife along line H II of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 shows the knife in aside view with open blades and the covering blades The drawings show a knife with two blades 1 and 2 held on the handle by the pins 3 and and 4, respectively, and so arranged that when they are closed they lie side by side between the two cover-plates Against each blade presses a throw-out spring 6 and 7, respectively, which have the tendency to throw open the blades. These springs are hold fast by the pins 3 and 4, respectively, which at the same time hold the knifeblades, and by special pins 8. A spring 9 holds each blade in its open position. I The springs 9 are fixed to the knife by a pin 10. These springs 9 act upon the blades only in their opened position. Now in order to retain the knife-blades in their closed position pins 11 and 12, respectively, project sidewise from the inside of the oscillating cover-plates 13 and 14:, respectively. They lit into holes 15 and 16, respectively, in the blades 1 2, and so hold them fast. The covers of the handle, which in the example shown in the drawings are composed of flanged pieces 13 and 14: and. the plates .13 and 14, respectively,

are beveled 01f inside at one end, and flat springs 17 are fixed underneath the flanged pieces 13 and let, respectively, on the plates 5. These springs have the tendency to press the covers down upon the plates 5. so that the pins 11 and 12 project into the holes 15 and 16. respectively, and thereby prevent the knifeblades from being thrown out by the springs 6 and 7, respectively. The pins 11 and 12 are beveled oil at their inner end, as at '18, Fig. 2, so that when the lniife-blades are closed said pins will be pressed back, together with the covering-plates, automatically by the throwout springs 6 or 7 respectively, and then, after these springs have passed the respective holes in the plates 5, the pins 11 12 are pushed into the holes 15 16, respectively, of the knifeblades 1 2 by the pressure of the springs 17, respectively, thereby holding the knife-blade fast in their closed position, as said before. In pressing upon the covers on the side opposite to the pins 11 and 19., respectively, these can be released, and. the blades are thrown open automatically by the action of the springs 6 or 7, respectively.

Now the blades of the knife described so far would be liable to be opened by an accidental pressure upon the respective end of the covers 13 or 1 1, respectively, and in order to secure the blades against such accidental or involuntaryopening I have provided the following safety locking device: Outside of each of the plates 5, near one end, at 19 and 20, respectively, is pivoted a little lever 21 22, respectively, which pass through an opening 23 in the flanges of the plates 13 1 1, respectively, but which can be placed so as to reach into the slot or recess 23 in said flange, in which position it hinders the pressing down of the compound covers 14: 14 or 13 13 and the releasing of the pin 11 or 12, respectively, out of the holes '15 or 16 in the blades 1 or 2, respectively, and then these blades cannot be thrown out by the springs 6 or 7, and it thus depends on the position of the lever 21 or 22 whether the knife can be opened or not. Only when these levers are unlocked the blades can be thrown out in their opened position, and it will thus be seen that this device forms a safeguard against involuntary opening of the knives.

Having now explained my invention, I declare that what I claim is- In a pocket-knife with automatically-opening blades safety-levers 21, 22 pivotally fixed to the knife-plates 5 respectively, in combination with plates 132-145, openings 23 in these plates allowing the passage of said levers 21, 22, recesses 23 in said plates 13, 1 1 engaging with the safety-levers 21, 22, thereby hindering the plates 13*, 1 1 and the pins 11 and 12, respectively, from being disengaged from the holes 15, 16, respectively, in the knife-blades and thus preventing the involuntary throwing open of the latter through the springs 6 and 7 respectively, the whole as described and illustrated and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have affiXed my signature in presence of witnesses.

WILHELM WVEOK.

Witnesses:

VICTOR W. HELDT, OTTo RAcUsE, S. EHRMANN. 

